Baits
by fiesa
Summary: Yes, Ten wants her there. Yes, she knows that Rese has work to do. And no, she doesn't care. OneShot - Rese/Cass, obviously.


**Bait**

_Summary: Yes, Ten wants her there. Yes, she knows that Rese has work to do. And no, she doesn't care. OneShot._

_Set: Story-unrelated, future fic_

_Warning: Intended humor._

_Disclaimer: Standards apply._

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* * *

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Ten put away her mobile phone and sighed.

"She's so _damn_ stubborn!"

Her outburst went nearly unheard.

Nadia grinned and took a sip from the cocktail glass standing in front of her. The yellow straw and the orange slice on the rim gave a stunning contrast to the pure _green-ness_ of her beverage. They already had wondered which ingredients had been used to achieve this kind of color.

Marina had bet on Curacao, even though Ten had doubtfully declared she only knew blue Curacao. Nadia had gone for food coloring. Ten proposed poison, pulling a dangerous grimace, and the male members of their Clave had shaken their heads at the typically female habit of analyzing everything that was edible (drinkable, in this case). Cass had downed a great sip of said beverage when nobody had been watching and had declared it was barely drinkable, how could they order a cocktail without alcohol? Ten had slapped his hand when he reached for _her_ drink, Nadia had reached over and relieved him of his own drink in order to try it as well and Marina had protested and told him a cocktail without alcohol was so much better because it wasn't bitter at all.

Jay lifted his own glass.

"Shut up and drink."

Laughing, they complied.

Nobody said what they were really thinking at that moment. Nobody said _It's great to be together again_ or _I have missed you lot_ or _It has been such a long time since we met the last time._ Nobody mentioned the fact that this was their first reunion since they had seen each other at the Council's meeting last March. Nobody recalled the fact that, since they had left their safe house and ceased to be a Clave but became individual Hunters instead, they hadn't seen each other. Life was something they were painfully familiar with, always had been. And they still were alive and they were together and what else mattered?

"You know, the last time I had a drink and a nice, free evening like this probably was in my last life," Jay mused and took a moment to shovel a few nacho chips into his mouth. His brother reached over and helped himself. Jay didn't even seem to notice.

"Yeah, you've never taken a day off in your life," Terrance said sarcastically. The others laughed. If one of them was bound to take off from time to time, it was Jay. A look of hurt on his face, Jay turned to Jaq.

"Tell them I have worked hard and dutifully the last months!"

"Of course you have," Jaq responded. "Hasn't slept a minute." His face didn't show a trace of his emotions, but they all heard the irony.

"Hey, hey!" Jay interrupted. "Talking about sleep… Have you heard the one about the Vampire that fell asleep?"

"Hunter's Help!" Terrance snorted. "No jokes until I'm fully drunk, please!"

Marina giggled and leaned over the table to grab a menu.

"I need something more substantial. I haven't had anything for lunch today."

"Yeah – how is your new job?" Nadia asked. "Everything okay there?"

"Just great!" The small woman with the jet-black hair grinned happily. "I really can control the vision flood now. It is a great help!"

"Well, I'm glad this Roi guy was able to do something good for you in the end," Ten said and downed her drink. When Marina opened the menu, she leaned over to have a look at it as well.

"Let's see… I've had that one the last time… I'll try number 855."

"Actually, Ten, what were you about to say about a stubborn person a few minutes ago?" Cassidy inquired casually. The others listened up.

"It's about Rese – you _knew_ it was about Rese," she accused him. Grinning, he shrugged.

"So is she refusing to join us?"

"Talking about patrolling duty and paper work. Why can't she for once stop thinking like a Hunter and join us?"

"Rese doesn't stop thinking like a hunter because she never stops being one," Jay retorted. "She's still got a stick up her ass, that's what she has."

"She hasn't!" Marina contradicted, working up the heat to defend her friend. "She's busy, that's all!"

"If you say so," Nadia answered and took another sip from her straw. "Personally, I think she just is afraid she won't be able to stomach the alcohol."

"Oh, Rese has proven often enough that she can drink her share," Terrance smirked. "So what is it really?"

"She's had a long day, has just come home. I guess she wants to get some rest."

The friends shrugged.

"We'll see her on Sunday, never mind."

* * *

"Whom are you seeing on Sunday?" A new voice inquired and the occupants of the table turned around to face the woman they had been talking about seconds ago. Rese really looked tired. But her eyes sparkled.

"Rese!" Marina exclaimed, jumped on her feet and hugged the tall woman. "You look great!"

Indeed, she did. She wore a dark-red top and jeans which – for once – didn't look like she had been out hunting in them. Her hair was pulled up into a messy bun.

"Hey, Mar. Hi Ten, Nadia. Hey, guys!"

Giving a general greeting in direction of her former Clave siblings, Rese slid unto the empty chair and eyed the menu doubtfully.

"Do they have normal food here? I'm starving."

"Take some nachos," Terrance offered and pushed over the bowl. Nodding her thanks, she helped herself.

"We thought you were too busy to come?" Ten asked, smirking. Rese merely lifted a brow.

"Well, you used such charming bait I just _had_ to come…"

"What did she say?" Jay asked, curiously. Rese delicately opened the menu and took her time in answering.

"Well, she tried every trick she knew in order to convince me… I was planning on ignoring the world for the rest of the week, so I didn't really feel like coming. I'd see you next week, anyway. But she tried and tried…"

Ten pulled a face.

"Come on. Be a bit more spontaneous, Rese. You can't hide from the world, you know that. And I really, _really_ wanted you to come…"

"I could see that. I, on my part, had great fun listening to her making up reasons why I just _had_ to come. And in the end, when she grew desperate, she used her last weapon…"

Six people looked at her with expectant faces. Ten crossed her arms, still pouting.

"It would have worked. Once upon a time."

"Continue dreaming. She told me Cass would be here, too. You see – I just _had_ to come."

The others looked dumb-struck. Rese smirked, Ten glowered, Cass hid a grin behind his drink.

"Excuse me for asking," Jaq finally said. "I obviously missed something, but… Why did you believe you could bait Rese by telling her Cass was with us?"

"I'd like to know, too," Nadia said.

Ten threw her hands up in desperation.

"No sense of humor in this Clave! Don't you remember, a few years ago, when Jay used to take on bets on how long it would take to get Rese and Cass together?"

"Ten," Marina said, shaking her head. "Where have you been the last months?"

Ten stared at her suspiciously.

"Why?"

Terrance smirked, too. "Well… Obviously, you've missed the part in which…"

"Come on," Rese interrupted him, clearly annoyed. Ten eyed her suspiciously. "Can't we please drop this topic? Yes, she has tried to set us up for years. But that's past, okay?"

"No, wait," Ten said, still looking at her, her eyebrows raised. "Now, I _definitely_ want to know what is going on here!"

She didn't miss the glance between Cass and Rese. Somehow, it was different today, though she didn't grasp the implications it carried. The others merely grinned, the grin she knew as _I-know-a-secret-you-don't-know-but-it's-not-mine-and-I-won't-give-it-away-so-go-figure_. And suddenly, there was a shadow of a blush on Rese's features and she broke eye-contact with Cass. She avoided Ten meticulously, too.

"No!" Ten gasped and barely knocked over her chair. "Don't tell me you're together!"

"Together," Jay echoed. "Warm, Ten, warm. But not nearly hot enough."

Staring hard at Rese, Ten let her gaze wander down. Her friend was fidgeting, her hands curling and uncurling around each other, and in the dim lightning of the bar Ten suddenly saw…

"OH MY GOD! YOU ARE ENGAGED!"

"Pssst!" Rese said, even redder than before, now absolutely taken aback. "Don't shout it from the roofs! It's no big deal!"

"IT'S NO BIG DEAL?" Ten still had difficulties in controlling her voice. "No big deal? Are you freakin' _kidding_ me? That's…"

There was something very much like fear in Rese's eyes as she watched her intently.

"Yes?"

The others had fallen silent.

"How long?"

"Thirty-six hours and twenty minutes," Marina offered.

"And together?"

"Dunno… Four months?" Jay played with his drink. "Of course, I was right all all along. It started _years _ago. I can't believe you didn't realize it… It was _so_ obvious."

Shaking her head, still trying to process the fact that Rese and Cass were together – were even _engaged_, something she hadn't even dared to dream about – she took in her best friend closely. Her dark hair, pulled up hastily, a few strands falling on her shoulders. The red top with the short, butterfly-style arms, the way her hands curled into each other, the thin band of gold gleaming on her ring finger, and something in her eyes that was both happiness, hope and fear… It was everything she knew about Rese, even though she now was almost twenty years older than when they had met first. Everything – and more, because this kind of _glow_ hadn't been there before. Only Cass could have made her even _more_ beautiful.

"You've _got_ to be kidding me," she finally said and threw her arms around Rese. Clearly relieved, Rese answered the hug.

"I'm so happy for you!"

"Thanks," came a whisper, almost too silent to be heard.

Ten let go of her and tackled Cass with a bear hug and a slap on his shoulder. Cass actually flinched.

"Outch."

"That's nothing compared to what I'm going to do with you if you ever hurt Rese!" She threatened. Cass nodded seriously. "Got it."

"Ten!"

"It's my duty as your best friend to say that, Rese. No, it's more than that. It's my _right. _I'll be the one who has to listen to you complaining about him for the next years, after all."

"Haven't you already had to do so the last years?" Jay asked and earned a _very_ angry glance from Rese. "Just saying," he mumbled and grinned.

"God," Ten said and let herself fall onto her chair again. "I need a drink. Now with alcohol, preferably."

She grabbed Cass's glass and downed it entirely.

"Okay," she said as she pushed it back towards him. "And now let's get some things straight: You all knew about _this_ and you haven't said a word?"

Six grinning faces answered her. Rese, at least, looked guilty. "I'd have told you on Sunday…"

"Okay." Ten narrowed her eyes and looked at her friends one by one. "Okay, I get it. I've fallen for your bait fully and entirely. You had your fun. Rese…"

Marina started biting at her straw while all the others started to fidget on their places.

"I expect to hear _every __single_ _detail _from you later. Meanwhile, the rest of you…"

The soundtrack of "Once upon a time in the West" would have fit this scene perfectly.

"My revenge will be swift and terrible."


End file.
